Be My Valentine?
by littlesheep
Summary: Something in Mac's behavior makes Stella think he finally started seeing someone again. But is he really? Or what's the truth behind him acting differently? A little Valentine's romance, complete now. No spoilers no season 3! SMacked as always StellaMac
1. Chapter 1

I have another one for you – actually I've been thinking about this for a long time, but only really finished it today. It was supposed to be a one shot, but my friend and first critic Mitch recommend putting in a TBC, so blame him ;-)

The story features the song "Red Red Rose" by Emmylou Harris (written by David Mallet), a beautiful and slightly melancholic country ballad.

**Disclaimer**: All the original characters belong to their owners - except for Mac. **Mac belongs to Stella**.

XXXXX

Chapter 1

Lindsay walked along the corridor on her way to the DNA lab. From the corner of her eye she saw how Stella flopped back in her chair with a puzzled look on her face. When she returned 15 minutes later, Stella was still sitting in the same position, staring absentmindedly into the air. Lindsay hesitated for a moment, then slowly poked her head through the door.

She approached her unnoticed and followed her gaze, then she looked down at Stella with a questioning look.

"Stella??"

No reaction.

"You okay?"

Stella didn't move or look up, then suddenly she said something.

"Mac is … a man!"

Lindsay frowned for a moment.

_And this was surprising because… ?_

"Yeah, I figured that on my first day already. You know, he told me not to call him 'Sir', but nevertheless. And it took you about 10 years to realize that he…"

She paused after a look at Stella, noticing that she wasn't with her at all.

"What's up?" she carefully asked, wondering more and more what this was all about.

Stella slowly looked up at her.

"I think he finally started seeing someone again…"

"MAC???"

"I can't point a finger at it, but something is different. He won't joke around with me as he used to… Whenever I try to ask him about it, he backs out."

"You have a problem with him seeing someone?" Lindsay still wasn't sure how to interpret Stella's reaction.

"No! Not at all. I mean, after all that's what I've been telling him all these years. It's just that … I don't know. We've been through a lot over the years, we shared so much all the time. You know, he always told me about his feelings. There were no secrets or things we couldn't talk about. Even when there was someone interested in him, he would tell me about it, ask me what to do and how to explain to her he wasn't ready. And now, he's just different …" Stella sighed. "I just miss the old easy way we normally have with each other."

Stella was serious about what she said and Lindsay had the feeling she believed in what she said. But she wasn't too sure if it wasn't just because this was what Stella had told herself all the time, maybe she just didn't see that things had changed.

"Well, maybe there's nothing after all, maybe he's just telling the truth when he says there is nobody. I mean, why should he lie to you, right?" Lindsay suddenly had an idea and tried to get out as quickly as possible by cheering Stella up with some comforting words.

"Yeah, maybe…" Stella mumbled.

"'Night Stella, see ya tomorrow!" Lindsay called on her way out.

"Good night…" Stella remained in her chair.

XXXXX

Lindsay found Danny in the locker room. She wasn't exactly sure if he would be the right guy for this, but for now he was the only one available.

"Messer, we have to talk!" she announced while sitting down on the bench in the middle of the room.

"Whoa, that sounds serious… What'd I do?"

"You nothing. Actually I'm not sure if anyone did anything. But before someone does something without knowing something else, we need to do something," Lindsay tried to explain.

"It's Saturday evening, speak in a way that I can understand, please?" Danny was confused. He had no idea what she was talking about.

After Lindsay told him about her short conversation with Stella, he laughed out loud. Lindsay gave him a puzzled look.

"WHAT?!?"

"You're never gonna believe what I'm telling you now…"

"What, Danny???" she impatiently insisted on an explanation.

"Only half an hour ago I talked to Mac. He was at the lab, working on something as it seemed and looked quite helpless. So I thought he might need some help and asked him if I could do anything. And then he suddenly started telling me that Stella wouldn't stop asking him if he was dating anyone and that it would be great if it was true and that she would be happy and so on and that he just couldn't make her stop asking him about it."

"Yeah, that's about what she told me – just from the other side," Lindsay confirmed, wondering where Danny was going with this.

"Right. But what she didn't tell you because she doesn't know is the next thing. In the end Mac suddenly asked: 'How am I gonna explain to her there IS nobody else??'"

"Nobody ELSE???" Lindsay eyes suddenly had the size of saucers.

Danny just nodded with a broad grin.

"Yup, my thoughts."

"And now?"

"Hey Hawkes!" Danny called when the door to the locker room opened. "Didn't you have a friend who works as a DJ at WQXR radio?"

"That's right, why?"

"Could you ask him to do you a favor, we're gonna explain it to you later, it's a rush…"

TBC

The second and final chapter will be posted on Feb 14 – Valentine's Day ;-)


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks a lot everyone for your sweet comments! I thought I'd be nice and post a little earlier - but I had to split the final chapter so that you get something earlier than I announced, but Valentine's remains on Feb 14 - so the final part will still be posted tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy :-)

Chapter 2

Stella sighed. Another Saturday night that she was going to spend alone in her apartment. And this one was even worse – it was Valentine's Day. With another deep sigh, she started to pack her stuff, getting ready to leave the office when she heard the voice of a radio host coming from the break room across the corridor.

"This next song …"

She had just finished cleaning up her desk while thinking that on a Saturday evening nobody would mind if the radio was turned on this loud when suddenly the words of the speaker caught her attention.

"… play it especially for Stella and Mac!"

_Huh?!? Ah, just a coincidence. Stella and Mac are not exactly rare names…_

Her mind wandered for moments, but then she called herself to order and wanted to leave. Just then, the song started and she stopped leaning against her doorframe, listening to the soft voice of Emmylou Harris.

_You may wonder if you know me  
You may wonder if I care  
Or if I'll leave you sad and lonely  
Or if I'll always be right there  
_

_Well there's no need for doubt now darlin'  
'Cause I have come to know  
This love of ours is no common flower  
You know this love is like a red, red rose  
_

She thought about the lyrics while she listened to them. Memories rushed through her mind within seconds. Thoughts started to appear at the surface, thoughts that made her realize that there might be long-time hidden things goin' on. She sighed deeply and tears slowly filled her eyes while she listened to the emotional melody.

XXXXX

At the other end of the corridor, Mac found himself listening to the same song, totally caught up with the lyrics and the dreamy sound. His thoughts went back.

_And you may wonder about this dreamer  
If she's all you thought she'd be  
And, oh, if anything but someday  
Ever comes from lovin' me  
_

_But hold me close and tell me darlin'  
That you have come to know  
This love I bring you is no common thing  
You know this love is like a red, red rose_

He wondered about himself, daydreaming of the woman he worked with for such a long time without any hint of deeper feelings.

_You are a fool! Didn't you just admit to yourself that there ARE deeper feelings?_

The song made him brood over the situation more and more. Weren't there those little signs that there were feelings on her side, too? Or was it just his imagination, was he just projecting things into past situations now, because of the mood of the moment? How else could it be explained that he didn't see any signs WHEN the situations occurred?

Because there couldn't be what shouldn't be? Or did he really ignore the signs?

A thought came up in his mind. At first, he pushed it aside right away. What a ridiculous idea! But the song still went on, gnawing at his resistance and pessimism.

He gulped, listening to the lyrics, still unsure if he should do what he wanted to do and how to do it and what might happen afterwards if there was something happening at all and…This song MUST be a sign to do something. It was talking to HIM directly.

After thinking for a short moment, he picked up the phone.

XXXXX

The song slowly faded out and Stella got a feeling of helplessness and desperation when she slowly started to realize the depth of her feelings and how close this song came to reality, to HER life, to her current situation.

About 30 minutes later, she was still sitting in her office, not knowing what to do now. Right in that moment, she heard a knock at the door.

_Lindsay? No, she wouldn't knock. But who could be there, this late on a Saturday evening?_

A little emotionally upset and uncertain she went to the door and opened it.

Outside, there was a young man in a baseball jacket, holding a package in his hands.

"Yes?" she asked in surprise.

"I have a delivery for Miss Stella Bonasera," he answered.

"Well, that's me," she wondered. "But what kind of a delivery is this on a Saturday night and where does it come from?"

"I guess there's a card inside the carton, maybe that explains it?" the young man smiled at her. "Will you accept the package?"

"Sure, sorry," she said.

He handed the package to her and thanked her for the tip she gave him. After he left, she opened the carton, finding the most beautiful red rose she'd ever seen in it. Under it, there was a little card. She had tears in her eyes again while reading the text, carefully written in clear letters:

**_Be my Valentine?_**

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks everyone for your great comments – each of them is truly appreciated. Sorry that I have to update so shortly after the last chapter, but in this case I have to post it today of course. For those who didn't read the previous chapter yet – just review them one after the other GGG

Happy Valentine's everyone!

Chapter 3

She stared at the card and the rose, immediately understanding the connection. But was it possible? Could this flower, this beautiful rose and this extremely romantic card…

…could it be HIM??

She knew that under his professionally covered appearance there was a soft and tender heart beating that he didn't dare show, afraid of being hurt again after the love of his life had been taken away from him. She felt that he needed time and she was willing to give this time to him, as much as he needed. Or was she just daydreaming about things that were only in her imagination?

_God, what should I do now?_

As she ran back and forth in her office, still holding the card, Mac slowly approached her office, the look on his face near that of a rabbit facing the snake that's planning on eating it for lunch.

For more then 10 minutes, he stood outside the door, arguing with himself about entering the office where he saw her pacing up and down without looking up - or leaving and moving to the South Pole, which in his eyes would be the only alternative after what he had just done.

Unaware of the fact that he was being watched the whole time, he finally summoned all his willpower together and started knocking.

Inside the office, Stella nearly stared in shock, being involved so deeply in her thoughts that the knocking at the door totally threw her off. Still extremely confused, she slowly went to the door to open it.

"Mac!" she breathed. She looked down at the card that she had dropped upon seeing him, then turned to the red rose lying on her desk and back to the bouquet of roses in his hand.

_When you're all caught up in sweet surrender  
Simple truth is sometimes hard to see  
Here between the tough times and the tender  
It all comes down to you and me  
_

_And you may see my heart of darkness  
I may stumble now and again  
But underneath this heart of darkness  
There's a heart that's lovin' you right till the end  
_

"It WAS you!" She looked at him in a mixture of disbelief, relief and upcoming overwhelming happiness.

He was a little unsure about her little 'outbreak' and the undefined look on her face that changed about four times within the last ten seconds.

"Sorry for this late intrusion… it's just that I … normally I don't … but I had to … and then I wanted …" he stammered, angry about himself as he had planned another, more elegant entrance - and now?

_God, she must take me for an ultimate idiot!_

But instead, she just smiled softly at him, her eyes saying something like 'It's ok, I know…" - or was it just what he read in them?

"Um, wanna come in?" she carefully asked, not wanting to scare him off.

"Ok," he whispered, still not moving an inch.

Suddenly he remembered the bunch of roses he still held clasped with his hands and handed them over to her.

"Those are for you, I think," he murmured.

"Ah! They are coming to visit their friend, hum?" Stella tried to ease the situation with the poor attempt of a little joke.

Before Mac could doubt what that was all about, she regretted her words.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it in a funny way. It's just - I was so confused before you appeared, before the one rose was brought, after that song on the radio…"

"You DID hear it!" Mac exclaimed.

"Yeah, but why? What…"

"Well, just because the whole thing would be a little ridiculous if you hadn't," he tried to explain.

"Ridiculous? Mac, this is soooooo romantic!"

He started to feel a little uneasy. They both stood facing each other in the open door, only inches between them. He moved a step closer, taking her face in his hands, then placing his lips on hers in a careful, but tender and caressing kiss.

_So hold me close, come hold me darlin'  
'Cause I want you to know  
This love of ours_

_Is no common flower  
You know this love is like a red, red rose  
_

She felt her knees getting weak and put her arms around his neck to keep balanced and to pull him closer to her. After what seemed to be a never-ending eternity, they pulled away, but only a little bit. Stella tried to catch her breath again.

"Maybe now we should better really go inside, hum?"

"I agree," Mac answered with a slightly hoarse voice.

"Mac?" Stella whispered, picking up the card from the floor.

"Hum?"

"The answer is 'Yes'," she smiled while they entered the office and closed the door behind themselves, not losing their tender embrace.

"So you believe me NOW that I'm not seeing anyone?" he teased her.

Instead of an answer, she closed his lips with another tender kiss.

_This love of ours_

_Is no common flower  
You know this love is like a red, red rose_

XXXXX

(Outside in the corridor:)

The door of next door's room was carefully shut. Lindsay smiled satisfied and turned to Danny.

"Good work, Cowboy! Guess we gotta send a gift basket to Hawkes' friend at the radio station on Monday, hum?"

The End


End file.
